ZECHARIAH 7:13

“‘And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,’ says the LORD of armies;”

Don’t you just hate it when you text someone, and they don’t text you back? In days past, you would write a letter and wait for a response. Later on, you would call and leave a message on an answering machine, expecting a return call. Our frustration with not receiving a response hasn’t changed, has it? We still want to hear back, and the sooner the better.

So, when the Lord said these words to Zechariah to deliver to the people, they must have stung. The Lord of armies (also known as the Lord of Hosts) says “they called and I would not listen.” Why? Because their unrepentant sin had cut off communication. It was as if the phone line to heaven had been cut. They called out, but no one answered. I bet the silence was deafening.

APPLICATION

Do you want God to hear your prayers? Then stay “prayed up.” Confess your sins quickly and completely. Name them. Ask Him to reveal to you those secret sins you keep tucked away. Psalm 90:7-8 tells us. “7 For we have been consumed by Your anger,

and we have been terrified by Your wrath. 8 You have placed our guilty deeds before You, our hidden sins in the light of Your presence.”

Did you catch that last phrase? It said, “our hidden sins.” Another translation says, “our secret sins.” Come on, you know you have them. What have you not confessed to the Lord? What is that secret sin you are holding on to? I know you don’t want to cut off communication with heaven. No one wants that.

Our approach to the altar makes all the difference. If we come as the Israelites did with pride and arrogance, God will not hear. But if we come in humility and brokenness, He promises to hear and answer. God wants to work in our lives. He really wants to. Clear the slate. Confess those sins. Allow Him to work in the ways He wants. You won’t be sorry.

Thank You, Lord, for hearing my confessions. I want to keep our lines of communication wide open.